The Third Strike and a Harsh Lesson

She still casually clenched her fist and struck out. The blow was indistinguishable from the previous one.

Yet, his eyes snapped open. This time, the celestial river before him was at least twice as wide, and the surging tide towered more than ten zhang higher!

The roar of angry waves crashing against the shore echoed in his ears.

As the illusion expanded, its details grew increasingly vivid.

‘Just how profound was this woman’s cultivation?’

Gritting his teeth, the youth surprisingly closed his eyes, completely disregarding the illusion. Simultaneously, his True Qi surged rapidly throughout his body.

He abandoned all defensive power, concentrating every ounce of his strength into his right palm.

“Haa!”

With his eyes still shut, the youth pushed out his right palm. Guided solely by a faint glimmer of intuition within his heart, he met Bai Yuan’s incoming fist.

“!”

Fist and palm met once more, yet, unexpectedly, no sound was produced.

This time, the youth did not retreat.

The two stood in a stalemate for a moment before Bai Yuan slowly withdrew her fist.

Opening his eyes, the youth’s tightly pressed lips slowly seeped with traces of fresh blood.

“Woo—”

A gentle breeze swept past, and the youth’s sleeves shredded into countless fragments, scattering into the air. His entire bronze-colored arm was exposed, seemingly still trembling slightly.

“Again!”

The youth took a deep breath, retracted his palm, and stared intently at the woman before him, a fierce glint flickering in his tiger-like eyes.

“Very good!”

Bai Yuan stood with her hands clasped behind her back, her face, like ice and snow, devoid of any ripples. Yet, a hint of approval shone in her eyes.

“Be careful. Next is the third strike!”

“Boom!”

As that smooth, jade-like fist struck out again, the youth suddenly felt as if he could not breathe at all.

Boundless ocean surrounded him, countless waves surging and crashing. He stood, utterly adrift, in the center of the endless tide.

Before him, an immense wall of water stood, blotting out the sky. He could not discern its height or its width; it spanned the heavens, casting a colossal shadow.

No, it was not a wall of water. It was, in fact, a colossal, raging tide, connecting earth and sky as it rolled toward him!

This power was simply beyond human resistance.

The youth no longer closed his eyes. He knew well that against such overwhelming force, any attempt to evade would be utterly futile.

His eyes were wide, bloodshot within their sockets.

‘I refuse to yield!’

The youth roared in his heart.

He could feel his True Qi boiling, his essence and blood burning throughout his body, and his will letting out an unyielding roar in the face of the almost insurmountable deluge.

He raised his hands, and subtle, profound patterns faintly emerged on his palms, like scales on a true dragon.

In that moment, he felt his strength breach a limit, rising layer upon layer, until it reached its highest peak.

Yet, he could not surpass the colossal tide.

“Dragon battles in the wilderness, break for me!”

The youth thrust his palms forward.

“Whoosh!”

The overwhelming torrent crashed down with a roar.

“Slap!”

A warm hand gently covered his forehead, withdrawing immediately after a brief touch.

A faint fragrance drifted into his nostrils with the breeze.

The youth instinctively sniffed, then blinked his eyes.

Bright sunlight filled his vision, and he realized that beneath his feet was solid ground.

The towering tide and the boundless ocean seemed to have vanished as if they had never existed.

His clothes were soaked with sweat, his Dantian was empty, his muscles and bones ached, and his mouth and nose were filled with a sweet, metallic taste. It felt as if he had fought a fierce battle, and even standing was a struggle.

‘I didn’t die. I even escaped from that mental illusion?’

Suddenly remembering something, the youth gasped a few breaths and abruptly looked up, only to see the woman before him had already turned gracefully.

“Consider yourself passed.”

A cold, clear female voice drifted from her. “Acting heroically and upholding justice is a good thing. This time, I’ll let it go, considering your youthful ignorance, just a small lesson. But from now on, remember not to speak carelessly or insult other sects. Others might not be as easygoing as I am.”

“I…”

The youth’s chapped lips moved a few times as he watched the graceful white figure, unsure of what to say.

Suddenly, an impulse surged within his heart. He straightened his back and loudly asked the woman, who still had her back to him, “Who are you?”

“Bai Yuan, of Tianhe Gate.”

The woman paused, turning her head slightly. “If you bear a grudge and wish for revenge, you can find me at the Yang Residence of Tianhe Gate. I await you at any time.”

“I will come!”

The youth stared at her retreating back, taking a deep breath, and shouted loudly, as if making a promise, “But not for revenge, only for a challenge! I want to challenge you; next time, I will not lose again!”

“A challenge? Heh…”

Bai Yuan fell silent for a moment, then tilted her head back, gazing at the clear blue sky, and let out a soft laugh.

“Very well, I shall wait.”

The youth watched, transfixed.

He could tell that in that laugh, there was no sarcasm, no mockery. Instead, there was only a hint of loneliness and melancholy.

Wind, blowing from an unknown direction, gently stirred the white-robed woman’s long hair, and her white skirt danced with it.

In that moment, the woman had lost all her previous coldness, instead revealing a trace of bewilderment, like a butterfly caught in a storm.

The youth was momentarily stunned.

“Kill him! Bai Yuan, why didn’t you kill him?”

A sudden, sharp voice shattered the delicate and beautiful scene.

The youth turned to look. The vicious girl, who appeared to be no more than fourteen or fifteen, had finally recovered her senses, her expression twisted and contorted with rage as she unleashed her fury upon Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan’s voice, however, remained calm: “Miss Qian, are you injured?”

“I asked you, why didn’t you kill him!”

Qian Tong pointed at the youth, completely disregarding Bai Yuan’s question.

A sudden murderous glint appeared in the youth’s eyes.

“Miss Qian’s voice is strong, so it seems she is not injured,” Bai Yuan said, staring at Qian Tong for a moment before nodding lightly. She then turned her head, her gaze sweeping over the youth. “As for why I didn’t kill him… I already promised him that if he could withstand three moves, I would let bygones be bygones. Now that he has withstood them, there is naturally no reason to continue pursuing the matter.”

“But you clearly didn’t hit him hard!”

Qian Tong’s anger flared even hotter. “He tried to kill me just now! Kill me! And you just stood there, watching him try to kill me?”

“You deliberately let him go, didn’t you?”

“He merely gave you a lesson; he would not have killed you.”

Bai Yuan’s voice grew cold.

“Oh, Bai Yuan, you finally spoke your true thoughts!”

Qian Tong, however, seemed to have caught Bai Yuan in a mistake, her demeanor growing increasingly fierce. “They were right, you are a malicious woman, harboring ill intentions, full of schemes and tricks. I’m going to tell Brother-in-law—”

“Slap!”

A heavy slap landed squarely on Qian Tong’s face.

Qian Tong was stunned for a moment, clutching her cheek, staring blankly at Bai Yuan.

“You, you actually dared to hit me?”

“Slap!”

Another slap.

Then, Bai Yuan no longer looked at her, turning and walking back the way she came.

“These two slaps were merely a lesson for you. To let you know that when you are out in the world, not everyone will indulge you.”